


Tale Of A Youkai and His Tiny, Little Human

by Niglia



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Canon Divergence, Drabble, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Romance, cuteness, what if
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-27
Updated: 2015-10-24
Packaged: 2018-04-11 15:11:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 6,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4440680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Niglia/pseuds/Niglia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Kagome Higurashi falls into the well as a child, a young Sesshoumaru finds her and decides to keep her for himself.<br/>A story told in little pieces.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 1. A Discovery

**Author's Note:**

> A/N. Hello everyone! I’m so, so excited to be here, posting my first ever SessKag fanfiction, I can hardly stop myself from babbling non-stop, LOL. Okay so just so you know, English is not my mother tongue; so if there are any mistakes or wrong saying or something like that, I would really appreciate if you’d let me know. After all, you learn from your mistakes! :D Nuff said: please enjoy the reading! Yours,  
> Niglia.

* * *

 

**{1}**

**A Di** **scovery**

 

 

 

It had been a strange noise to distract him from the hunt and scare away his prey, a kind of hissing and sucking together, followed by a slight tremor of the ground and the sudden silence of the whole forest. Then, in the quiet, came a faint sound.

Sesshoumaru straightened, leaving the crouch and standing up in all his small stature: he was conflicted. His father had given him until sunset, and then he would have to return to the camp with a prize worthy of the first-born of the Great Inu No Taisho. And if at first he had intended to ignore the hum, and classify it as an unwanted distraction that would simply made him waste time and daylight, in the end he could not help but give in to his curiosity.

He had then turned around and had followed that choked echo with the same scrupulous concentration he had taken when hunting, sharpening his senses and noticing that the noise acquired volume and clarity as he forwarded in the forest. He did not know the territory – it was only the second time he set foot in the East – but the young demon was not afraid of getting lost, he was sure he would have found his father also blindfolded and with his hands tied.

This did not prevent him, however, from feeling some apprehension when the tips of his boots stood on the edge of a small clearing, which would have gone unnoticed had not been for the old well standing exactly in the middle of it. The leaves of the ivy that covered the wooden frame had acquired a golden hue at the approach of sunset, and their presence was probably a sign that the well had to be disused, or simply abandoned.

Now that he was so close, Sesshoumaru recognized that noise for what it really was: a small and desperate hiccups alternating rapid and nervous breathing, coming exactly from inside the well.

The young youkai froze, fearing a trap. He lifted his nose and took deep breaths examining the smells carried by the wind, but he did not feel anything more than the scent of the forest, the small stream that flowed downstream and the delicious fragrance of flowers, sunshine and summer hovering around the well.

It seemed that there was no danger.

Sesshoumaru stepped forward then, and the sound of the grass crunching under his feet abruptly put an end to the crying; but he stopped again when a voice, weak and frail as the chirping of a baby bird, climbed up the walls of the well until it reaches his perfect hearing.

“Is there anyone out there? … Mama… Jii-san?”

Sesshoumaru sprinted toward the structure, frowning and with the claws of a hand ready to attack if the creature revealed suspicious intentions. He cleared his throat, modulating it to resemble his father’s, and thundered.

“Are you a demon?”

“I’m a girl”, the voice answered, slightly trembling.

Sesshoumaru didn’t understand that answer, so he changed his question.

“Are you a human?”

This time the voice snorted annoyed through its tears. “I’m a little  _girl_ ”, it repeated, stressing the word as if it was in itself rather exhaustive.

“Hn”, Sesshoumaru said.

 

 

 -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**Words count:**  537 words.


	2. 2. A Curiosity

* * *

 

**{2}**

**A Curiosity**

 

 

When he jumped over the edge of the well and landed gracefully on the bottom, the  _little girl_  screamed.

"Shush", Sesshoumaru said.

He crouched in front of her in order to be on the same level, and cocked his head to one side in a gesture that betrayed interest. He watched her eyes red and moist by dint of crying, her tousled hair, her flushed cheeks, her teeth nibbling her lips and her little nose that curled from time to time when she sniffed.

Leaning toward her, and ignoring the slight tremors that continued to shake her, Sesshoumaru began to snuffle curiously through her hair, behind her ears and along her neck, realizing that the delightful scent of flowers and sun and summer that he had smelt in the clearing came entirely from her.

She was clearly a human, but she did not smell like any ningen he had met during the various explorations with his father.

He straightened up and began to stare at her, ten times more curious than he was before.

"Why are you in the well?" He asked.

The girl sniffled uncertainly, and she curled up her legs against her chest. "I... I fell", she murmured with a slight hint of embarrassment. "I was chasing Buyo, and he jumped on the edge of the well, and I was climbing, and... I fell."

"Who is this Buyo?"

"He's my cat…"

Sesshoumaru hadn't smell any feline nearby, or he would have undoubtedly hunted it.

"And where is he, now?"

That last question snatched her another sob. "I don't know."

"Hh." Sesshoumaru stared at her in silence, noting for the first time the oddity of her blue eyes – he had never seen humans with eyes that color – and then he dared to stretch a finger at her, gently touching her cheeks covered with freckles. His father had repeatedly stated that humans were fragile, and Sesshoumaru did so careful not to hurt her carelessly with the tip of his claw.

He gently touched the skin under her left eye, watching her trembling lashes and the pupil dilating imperceptibly at the contact with his hand. The young demon inhaled discreetly, and he studied the nuances of the little human female's perfume, noting that, despite the obvious stress and sadness emanating from her in waves, he could detect not even a hint of fear.

"You're not afraid of me?" He asked then, still caressing her and letting her feel the delicate scraping of his own claws on her neck, causing a little wrinkling on her skin.

She shook her head in silence.

"Why?" He insisted, eager to understand.

The child still did not answer, merely shrugged.

The young youkai frowned. His father had always told him that humans fear what they do not know and do not understand, and that the terror they feel toward the superior race that are the youkai was caused by a deep instinct of survival and preservation centuries old – so why this small wren of a human infant did not fear him?

Sesshoumaru did not know whether to feel uncomfortable, or in awe.

 

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 **Word Count:**  516 words.


	3. 3. A Decision

**{** **3}**

**A Decision**

 

 

Sesshoumaru looked up at the rim of the well, noting that the sun had already come and gone, and the sky was already beginning slowly to dye black. He had only himself to blame for that deviation that had prevented him from carrying out the task assigned to him by his father, and yet...

Perhaps his hunt was not a complete disaster. Who knows what his father would have said once he would return with a human instead of the trivial game that certainly it was expected of him?

 _He will certainly be proud_ , he said to himself, taking a decision.

Sesshoumaru turned and crouched in front of her. “Come”, he said. “I'll take you out of here.”

He waited for an interminable few seconds that the child rustled up sufficient courage to climb on his back as his father had done with him several times; finally, he heard the rustle of her clothes, a faint sigh, and a pair of tiny hands resting on his shoulders for balance.

Instinctively he reached out behind him to grab the human under her legs and to better accommodate her back against him so she would not slip, then he straightened again to check that her grip was stable. It was: her soft and thin arms tightened immediately around his neck with a firm grasp, and had he been a human, she could have almost strangled him.

“Hold on”, he told her. When he felt her nod against his shoulder, he jumped.

Although he had not yet mastered the trick of manipulating his youki and make it solid beneath his feet, a method favored by his father to move quickly, Sesshoumaru boasted a considerable strength in every muscle of his body, which made him the envy for youkai far older than he. Whereby, going out of the well with that little push proved to be a very poor challenge.

Still, hearing the strangled groan full of terror and wonder of the human, and feeling her fingers cling like little claws into the fabric of his haori, he could not help but feel a twinge of pride.

Once they were in the clearing, Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes and expanded his aura in search of potential threats to his prey. When his youki snaked from the center of his being in coils and slipped outside, like threads of water that gradually took possession of the land, the little girl trembled against his back as if she was experiencing his power as tingling on her skin.

“Mh… cold”, she whispered, burying her face in his neck.

Intrigued, the young youkai again harnessed his aura, which disappeared shortly like water absorbed by dry soil. Immediately the human ceased to tremble, letting out a sigh of relief.

 _Hn_ , Sesshoumaru thought.

The human took him right away from his contemplations. “Thank you, ah... you didn’t tell me your name”, she realized in a low voice, without changing position.

“Sesshoumaru,” he said absently. Why he had not yet removed her from his person?

“Mh,” she murmured. “You have a nice smell, Sesshoumaru-chan.”

Before he could respond with some harsh protest, reproaching her that sudden display of familiarity, the little human slipped cozily into a deep sleep.

 

 -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 **Words count:** 536 words.


	4. 4. A Father

* * *

 

**{4}**

**A Father**

 

 

 

The Inu No Taisho’s camp was teeming with life – bonfires lit up the night, the soldiers exchanged stories and laughs around them while they shined their weapons, the horses grazed lazily on the edge of the clearing.

When Sesshoumaru emerged from the woods carrying on his back a small and sleeping human, however, every noise ceased. Ignoring the curious and puzzled stares of the soldiers, and emitting a low menacing growl that intimated any of those present not to come close to his prey, the young prince of the Western Lands crossed the entire field with his heads held high and a determined pace. He then reached his lord and father tent without deigning to look at any of the other youkai present.

Even after he was gone in there, the soldiers stayed silent – no one dared to utter a word. Only the most daring would exchange glances and whispers, and ventured hypothesis about what was happening – it was the first time that their little lord returned from a hunt without any kind of game – and the most curious strained their ears to hear what was occurring inside the General’s tent.

The great Inu No Taisho was engaged in reviewing the peace treaty drawn up recently with the Lord of the Eastern Lands, which was why they had planned the trip in the first place. He had decided to distract himself immersing in politics not to think about the twinge of disappointment that was caused by the delay of his heir – he should have returned to the camp a few seconds after the sun setting, and now it was already night. He was not overly worried about him: he knew that Sesshoumaru boasted a considerable amount of power for a puppy of just one hundred and seven years, and that if he had ignored the imposed term for his hunt, he must have had his reasons. The General hoped that he could provide a good explanation, because otherwise, he would have had to punish him, and he was not in the right mood to do it.

He was just thinking about what kind of reception he should reserve his heir when he finally arrived in the camp – his rebel youki was pounding threateningly, and Inu No Taisho frowned curiously.

What had happened to make his usually impassive Sesshoumaru react that way?

The answer came to him as soon as the young youkai walked through the threshold of his tent, carrying on his back a small human bundle.

Once in front of his father, Sesshoumaru bowed. “My lord,” he said. “I present you my prey.”

It was almost impossible for the Lord of the West to remain speechless, yet his son succeeded in the difficult task. Trying to maintain a neutral countenance, his father stretched his voice. “So... Are you going to eat it?”

His pup’s face twisted in a so deeply disturbed expression that the General had to stifle a laugh for the sake of his son’s pride.

“Of course  _not_ , Father,” the son replied rather rigidly.

“What are you going to do with this delightful prey, then?”

“ _She_  is mine,” Sesshoumaru whispered, slightly turning to look down at the girl who was still sleeping undisturbed on his back. “I wish to keep her. May I, Father?”

It wasn’t exactly the explanation he would have liked to hear, but the Lord was too amused to notice.

Inu No Taisho carefully examined his heir, weighing him as if he wanted to ensure the integrity of his desire and wondering if this could have been detrimental to his training. Finally, he must have reached the conclusion that keeping that human would benefit the training of his pup, and bowed his head in approval.

“Very good. But, that will not interfere with your studies.”

As if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, the young Sesshoumaru solemnly nodded.

 

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 **Words count:**  646 words.


	5. 5. An Awakening

**{5}**

**An Awakening**

  

 

 

The strange dream crumbled in pieces of gold, silver and darkness, fading with the first signs of awakening.

When Kagome opened her eyes, she immediately understood that she was not in her room: first, Buyo was not sleeping next to her; and second thing, there was a significant shortage of pink.

Sitting up and looking around with a rather disoriented look, the girl slowly took consciousness of her surroundings. She supposed she was in a tent – she knew it because her father had taken her camping sometimes. She realized then to be sitting on what, apparently, was a futon made up almost exclusively of thick and warm fur, and further, neatly placed on the ground side by side, there were three swords.

The question was, how had she arrived there? She vaguely remembered having chased Buyo up to the temple behind her house, having climbed over the well, and having fallen inside it when the boards that covered it had succumbed, completely rotten, under her weight..., which made her realize that her mother would not at all be happy..., but, anyway, now where was she?

She would have to wait to receive adequate answers, because some muffled sounds – whispers and rustlings and strange thuds – began coming from the outside, followed immediately by a hand that crept into the folds of the tent by lifting a hem.

Then a young man appeared in the threshold, looking quite familiar and yet very outlandish. He was wearing his long silver hair in a braid that hung carelessly over one shoulder, and he was dressed in a white haori with lilac flowers embroidered on the edge of the sleeves and collar, and a pair of hakama of a deep dark blue.

However, what really caught her attention, beyond that clearly valuable and sought after clothing, were the strange marks that he carried on his face. In all the six years of her long life Kagome had never seen anyone going around with crimson stripes on their cheekbones and a half moon in the middle of their forehead – and that stern and pierced demeanor, too!

On the other hand, she had never even seen clawed hands and golden eyes, catlike, on someone’s face. Maybe it was some sort of disguise.

Then something bounced off at the edge of her consciousness and the little girl sharply held her breath, pointing a finger at him with wide eyes.

“But, you were a dream!” She exclaimed, clearly confused. Surely, she had dreamed of that boy who had taken her out of the well with a single jump, right? Moreover, if he now stood before her, did that mean that she was still dreaming?

Brightening with hope at the possibility and without waiting for an answer from him, the girl began pinching violently the back of her hand, convinced that once awake she would have been in her pink bedroom. Nevertheless, at the first hiss of pain the boy snapped at her side, taking her hand in his with a muffled growl and looking at her as if she was crazy.

“Stop it, you’re hurting yourself”, he sternly chided her.

But Kagome was distracted by the very solid touch of their hands intertwined, and she realized then that something serious had really happened.

“You ... you are real”, she stammered. And she burst into tears.

 

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 **Words count:**  555 words.


	6. 6. A Reassurance

**{6}**

**A Reassurance**

 

 

 

 

 

Sesshoumaru looked uncomfortable whilst his prey burst into desperate tears, finding that being powerless in the face of a female in tears was not a particularly pleasant feeling.

He looked around frantically, hoping perhaps that a solution to that problem would appear before him as if by magic; unfortunately for him, only the two of them were in the tent – and by his own request, on top of that – so he doubted that someone would come to take him from that embarrassing predicament.

After all, his father had been clear on this: if he really wanted to keep the human, then he would have to take care of her.

The young youkai cursed his pride.

"Girl", he called, realizing that he did not know her name. " _Girl_!"

The big blue eyes flooded with tears of the human snapped open when he raised his voice, and then they trembling rest on his person.

Unsure whether to congratulate himself for drawing her attention or not, since she kept on sobbing, he continued. "Do stop this useless crying; I'm not going to hurt you."

As he should probably have anticipated, he succeeded only in make her cry more.

Annoyed and at the limit of exasperation, Sesshoumaru resorted to the latest tactic – he growled.

Actually, his snarl was not threatening in and of itself: it was but the puff of a pup, as threatening as a newborn kitten, which usually caused condescending giggles in the adults and warm smiles in the mothers. His father assured him repeatedly that his growls would purchase volume and ferocity, with the passage of time.

However, on an already terrified human the effect was quite different.

Kagome shrieked, tearing her hands from his grasp and crawling backwards on the bed to put as much distance as possible between them. Sesshoumaru discovered that after all, he did not like the smell of terror coming right now from the human – it was sour and unpleasant, and combined with the salty smell of her tears it made him uneasy. He much preferred the fragrant scent she emanated the night before.

"Don't cry", he tried again more cautiously, trying not to raise his voice.

She sobbed, unable to obey. She missed her family – something told her that she would not reunited with them for quite a while time – she had no idea where she was and that boy had just snarled at her! How could she calm down?

Kagome closed her eyes and did what her mother always told her to do when she woke up suddenly after a nightmare: she tried singing her lullaby.

Sesshoumaru frowned – what was she doing  _now_? He glanced at the entrance of the tent, assuming that perhaps it would not be so bad to ask for help to someone who could know more than he did about whining females... But no, he could not admit defeat so easily. He would not look weak in front of his father after stooping to ask if he could keep the human. She was his prey – he would deal with her.

He sighed. Then, silent as a shadow, in the blink of an eye he was beside her. He took her hands in his and pulled her gently toward himself, ripping her yet another sob.

However, the girl did not resist when the young demon laid her hands on his own cheeks, letting her cupping them and emitting a strange and soothing rumble that put an end to her tears.

Kagome stared at him wide-eyed, and Sesshoumaru tried to smile reassuringly.

It was almost as easy as training little dragons.

 

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 **Word count:**  599 words.


	7. 7. A Stubbornness

**{7}**

**A Stubbornness**

 

 

 

 

At first Kagome had thought he wanted to hurt her, but how bad could be a purring child?

She felt the slight vibration of his soft growls – growls that no human would be able to emit – transmitted to the palms of her hands, making them pleasantly tickling. Then she let escape a half-smile, and sniffed for the last time.

He reminded her of Buyo, when he purred and rubbed himself against her ankle to ask for forgiveness after having scratched her accidentally.

As he continued with his soothing rumble, watching her through half-closed eyelids, Kagome turned her attention on his sharp taloned fingers that barely touched her. Just because he seemed dangerous, it did not mean that he was, the girl thought wisely. Driven by a strange desire, she moved her right hand so to slightly caress his cheek soft as silk, in the direction of the curious magenta drawings that crossed it like scratches.

When she looked at her fingers to see if the strange make-up had stained her skin, she was surprised at seeing it completely clean. She pursed her lips, determined, and rubbed her fingers with greater insistence on his stripes, making him wince. The color, however, still did not come off.

"What are you?" She asked curiously, following with another finger the pointed profile of an ear and observing his golden irises and his catlike thin pupils. He resembled those creatures from storybooks – elves, if she did not remember wrong. And the elves were not bad, weren't they?

 _Was it possible that she had never seen a demon?_  "I am an inuyoukai", he answered quietly, studying her expression. "Heir of the Western Lands."

Kagome suddenly caught her breath – there went the elves' theory. "But Jii-san... He says that youkai are just legends."

Sesshoumaru frowned – that was happening more often in her presence. "Your village must be well secluded if your Jii-san says things like that, and believes them to be true."

The girl snorted, irritated that someone dared to speak ill of her grandfather. "My Jii-san knows  _a lot_  of things," she said, with the blind faith of childhood.

It was the young demon's turn to show irritation. "Well,  _of course_  he does not, if he is wrong about the youkai," he said, lowering his hands and folding his arms across his chest. "How can you still believe his words if you're here, surrounded by demons?"

Inevitably, Kagome paled. "Sur-surrounded?" She murmured.

Sesshoumaru merely did a dry nod of assent with his head. "You're in my camp," he said solemnly. "Hn, my father's," he then corrected himself, in case the old General was listening.

"Why am I here?" She wanted to know, looking around as if she expected to be attacked any moment now. "Why haven't you brought me home?"

 _Hn, humans ask a lot of questions_. "Since I found you, you are under my care; so I brought you in the only safe place," he said, wrinkling his nose slightly as the smell of her nervousness refilled the tent. "Besides, I do not know where your house is," he admitted reluctantly.

"I live at the shrine! The Higurashi Shrine," she replied immediately, reciting by heart the brief indications her mother had made her learn in case she was lost. "Now you can take me there!"

Stiffening in front of the girl's blatant desire to get away from him, Sesshoumaru clenched his fists and jumped up. "I do not know where this shrine of yours is," he repeated, more coldly than he intended. "And I told you that you are under my protection. You can not leave!"

Kagome stared, uncomprehending. Then, infuriated by the attitude of the arrogant young demon, she stood up in turn and planted her hands on her hips. "I want to talk to your father!" She exclaimed. Adults knew even more than children, right?

Taken aback, Sesshoumaru turned furiously and started to leave.

"Stay here," he growled, before disappearing.

 

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 **Word count:** 655 words.


	8. 8. A Meditation

**{8}**

**A Meditation**

 

 

 

 

Inu No Taisho would have never admitted it aloud, but he was worried.

He had heard his son's growl coming from inside the tent, then silence – and now he was beginning to reconsider his decision to let him keep this human, and to question the ease with which he had agreed to his pup desire without putting up too much resistance. Beyond the fact that he could or could not be able to take care of her, there were other factors to consider.

First, Sesshoumaru had briefly explained to have found her at the bottom of a well – which did not make sense per se, and it was even less clear if combined with the fact that there were no human settlements nearby. Only an old well in the middle of the forest and a little girl inside of it.

Now, no one simply appeared from nowhere without any explanation – let alone a child. It could have been a trap? A gimmick contrived by the enemies of the West to establish a spy inside the fortress? Possible, but unlikely: after all she was but a helpless creature, her smell was patently human and she had no particular special features apart from that of drawing his son's attention. How she did it, he was yet to figure it out.

Moreover, who was she? Where was she from? The General had only been able to see her in passing when his heir had brought her into the tent, and had almost ordered to leave him alone with her. What would have happened if she had belonged to a noble or influential family, and what if they were to learn that their little girl was in the clutches of youkai? The kingdom of the West boasted that it had never gone to war against ningen, and Inu no Taisho had no intention of being the first to dishonor his family name by stooping so low as to trigger an unnecessary conflict only because his son's curiosity got the better of his foresight.

In any case, they would be able to manage a small human – no matter how mysterious she could be. His word was law, and none of his subjects would have dared to question his choice of allowing the presence of a human in the court.

Sesshoumaru, for his part, had been quite adamant about the idea of keeping her. He had spent the entire night standing guard beside the human, watching her with enviable perseverance and never closing his eyes despite his father's protests. He considered her already his, and stubborn as he was nobody could change his mind – and he did not even particularly appreciate his sire request to bring the child to him once she woke up.

Usually the pup obeyed as befits one of his rank, but this time Inu No Taisho had seen a glint of defiance in his eyes.

On one hand, he could admire his son's fighting and fascinated spirit, who often acted as if nothing was enough worthy of his attention, but on the other he could not help but condemn it; the General was the Alpha, and it was expected of Sesshoumaru to behave accordingly. He could also allow this distraction because he had to admit he found it funny, but the boy was not supposed to forget that the last word still belonged to his father.

However, he decided not to interrupt the two pups that were now whispering quietly, and wait for them to come to him. He took the opportunity to gather his soldiers and directing the organization of their departure, making dismantle pallets and round up the horses and dragons – a gift of the Lord of the East, along with numerous other furnishings including precious jewels, fabrics and treats – and making them clean up carefully the glade so that it would have looked like no one was ever passed.

He gave a last thoughtful look in the direction of the tent, and then to his surprise he saw his son rushing out – his usually aloof face distorted in an angry and irritated expression.

Holding back a sigh, Inu No Taisho straightened.  _And here the problems began_.

 

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 **Word count:** 697 words.


	9. 9. A Dejection

**{9}**

**A Dejection**

 

 

 

The great General did not know what to expect after his son’s sudden outburst – or rather, his almost insolent demand for him to go talk to the human who had requested, quite courageously, an audience with the demon lord.

Certainly, what came before him once over the threshold was completely unexpected.

The little girl stood at the center of the tent as if she possessed it, arms crossed and chin up, trembling like a leaf in front of the imposing presence of Inu No Taisho, but with a resolute look that the great demon could only admire.

Trying not to smile to avoid upsetting the two pups, the Lord of the West stopped a few steps from the human, slipping his hands inside the wide sleeves of his haori and bowing his head slightly in a gesture of greeting. Standing at his side, Sesshoumaru ran his eyes from his father to his prey with a small crease between his eyebrows, unsure on how he was supposed to act in this situation. Finally determining that his sire would be well able to handle the situation without requiring his intervention, he decided to remain silent until it would be required of him to take action – and in the meantime, he would keep an eye on the girl.

“So then, little human,” Inu No Taisho’s deep voice finally broke the silence. “I have been told that you wished to talk to me?”

Kagome gulped, blinked, and suddenly she couldn’t find her voice – so she simply nodded awkwardly. That demon was _impressive_ , nothing to do with Sesshoumaru! Why had she believed that it would be easy to talk to him?

And those dark amber eyes, so different and yet similar compared with his son’s, they stared at her as if they wanted to weigh on her physically, putting her uncomfortable, pinning. She wanted to ask him so many questions, demand for several explanations, but her throat was closed, and it was with eyes wide and frightened and filled with tears that she returned his musing glances.

Then Inu No Taisho did something much unexpected. Clicking his tongue and shaking his head slightly, he crouched in front of the human, stretching his arms towards her and drawing her in his lap to rock her as if she were a pup. Unconsciously imitating what his son had done only a little earlier, the Lord began rumbling low murmurs meaningless to the human ear, but that in the language of inuyoukai would roughly sound as a kind of comforting lullaby.

With a quick glance towards his son, he made him understand not to interfere, and briefly nodded his head when the pup reluctantly obeyed him.

“You have nothing to fear from me, little human,” the demon whispered while gently running his fingers through her hair, wondering inwardly why he had felt the need to comfort that creature in the first place. “You belong to my son: I accepted his claim. So now tell me, who are you afraid of? Sesshoumaru or me?”

Not knowing what to do and since it was impossible to slip away from the powerful demon, Kagome rested her forehead against the smelling leather of his armor and sighed, snuggling in a grasp that all things considered was strangely comforting and reassuring.

“He... Sesshoumaru-chan... He says I can’t go away,” she almost sobbed, clutching a tiny hand on the fabric of his precious haori. “That I can’t go home.”

Inu No Taisho barely managed to keep himself from sighing, before directing a reprimanding look to his son – which in turn looked clearly unhappy with the position his prey was now in.

“And where is your home, child?” He asked gently, without ceasing his caresses.

She sniffed. How many times would she have to say it, again? “I live at the Higurashi shrine,” she murmured. “In Tokyo... but I don’t remember the way.”

The Lord of the West furrowed his brow, puzzled. There was no lie in her words – he doubted that she could have any reason to lie – yet he, the one who had explored the entire Wa far and wide, had never heard of this village.

The worst of all this, however, was finding out that she was linked to a shrine.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 **Word count:**  709 words.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: WA (倭? "Japan, japanese", from chinese Wō 倭) is the oldest recorded name of Japan. It was changed to “Nippon” around the VIII century, but considering that Inu no Taisho was born in an earlier era, I suppose there's nothing strange in him referring to those lands with a name no longer used.


	10. 10. A Soothing

**{10}**

**A Soothing**

 

  

 

 

Sesshoumaru watched unsatisfied as the General gently cradled and comforted the human child, and not because she was enjoying his father’s attentions, but rather because the demon lord was taking too many liberties with a prey that was not his. Painstakingly swallowing a growl that threatened to announce his jealousy, the pup folded his arms across his chest and narrowed his eyes, waiting impatiently for the scene to end.

He saw his father bowing his head toward the girl's hair and inhale quietly, as if to commit her scent to memory. Sesshoumaru gasped in surprise: he himself had done that with her – her sweet scent of flowers and summer was already deeply imprinted in his senses – but if the Alpha did it, then the gesture took a very different meaning. It meant that he recognized and accepted her presence in his pack, whereby the young lord was now completely reassured about the intentions of the older demon.

Inu No Taisho kindly nuzzled the girl’s brow, tearing her a muffled sound that was half sob and half chuckle, and he grunted his approval.

Then he placed a finger under her chin, and Kagome was forced to lift her face to look into the golden eyes of the Great Demon Dog. “Do not cry, child,” he soothed her softly. “My son thought only of your well-being, he did not mean to hurt you. So are you not afraid of us?”

Kagome shook her head slowly, but still did not dare to speak.

The General sighed, and then curled his index finger towards his son beckoning him over. Sesshoumaru was at his side immediately, placing itself so that he could see the child's face and not her back, and looked at his father with an air of expectation.

“Why don’t you tell us your name, mh? Certainly, a bonny lass like you will have a name just as beautiful”, the daiyoukai teased her patiently.

Her eyes run from him to his son and vice versa, undecided, but then she sniffed and tried to be strong. “My name is Kagome,” she murmured, looking down at her hands still clutching the fabric of the Lord of the West’s haori.

She wondered what her mother would think if she knew that Kagome was giving all of that information about herself to  _strangers_  – she would surely be very disappointed! However, what could she do? The boy – Sesshoumaru-chan – had saved her from the well and had been kind to her, until he had revealed that she was now his. While his father, the imposing demon who fondled her and had a raspy but gentle voice, and that reminded her of her Otou-san, well, Kagome had not yet figured out if he would bring her home or not.

That was the first time she mentioned the Higurashi shrine to someone who obviously had never heard of it, and it frightened her. If they didn’t know where she lived, how would she return to her family?

Her aura and the abrupt change in her scent had certainly denounced her mood currently desperate and distressed, because now Kagome felt the arms of General squeezing consolatory around her shoulders and the small hand of Sesshoumaru taking hers in a comforting grasp.

“Do not fret, child,” the Lord coaxed her, tucking her head under his chin. “You will be  _ours_  until we will find your family.”

The young prince slammed bewildered his eyes, not expecting to hear such a claim nor such a promise, and now they shone with anger. “But, father–”

“Hush, son,” the General silenced him. He looked at him sideways, trying to convey his thoughts without actually saying a word. “Later,” he added in a whisper.

Sesshoumaru bit his tongue and nodded stiffly, bringing his attention to the child – no, he amended, to Kagome. His prey, his pet, his little bird in a cage.

He would not allow his sire to take her away.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 **Word count:**  655 words.


	11. A Scolding

**{11}**

**A Scolding**

 

 

 

 

The words of the Lord of the West resounded threatening inside the young lord’s head, which, as solution to prevent someone from approaching his human, had decided to stay close to her at all times, keeping her under control to the point of not releasing her hand for any reason.

His father had tried to reassure him that no one would dare to take her away, but the truth was that Sesshoumaru trusted very little the General, since it was the latter that promise Kagome that, that she would be returned to her family.

While the child was having breakfast, perched on a log next to the remnants of a warm bonfire, father and son sat next to each other in front of her, looking with one eye at the movements of the soldiers that hung intrigued around her, and with the other at their current ward.

“You should not have promised her that, father,” Sesshoumaru was hissing, his hands balled into fists resting on his knees. “She is _mine_. _Mine_ to protect, under my responsibility. You said I could keep her!”

Inu No Taisho took a deep breath, cursing the stubbornness of youth.

“You see well for yourself that the girl is unhappy,” he pointed out quietly. “There would be no problems if she had been an orphan, but she has a family, she already belongs to someone. And what would happen if the members of the shrine she belongs to found out that she is under the protection of a demon?”

“She was alone when I found her,” said the inflexible puppy. “This does not mean, according to our laws, that she has been repudiated by her people and that now would belong to whoever claim her?”

Touga frowned: sometimes his son was too shrewd and crafty for his own good.

“You say well, son, these are our laws. But she is human,” he reminded him patiently.

Sesshoumaru merely huffed. “Thus a human is above the law of demons?”

“I do not like your tone, pup,” the General warned with a slight snarl. “It is not like you to behave this way: I expect a greater awareness from my heir. Now, since you are being an undisciplined pup, you will be treated as such: stop treating the child as if she were nothing more than a prize that you rightfully deserve, and act accordingly. Ask her if she wants to stay with you until we find a way to bring her back to her people, and if she refuses you will behave as it is expected of you. Am I clear, Sesshoumaru?”

The young prince swallowed his growl and replied without meeting the Lord stern eyes. “Yes, Father.”

Inu No Taisho nodded briefly, before rising to his full height. “Good. And remember this lesson, son, for one day it will be useful: know that the value of a leader is not determined by observing how he interacts with his equals, but how he treats the weakest – this maxim should be the foundation you will need to establish your kingdom.” His pup suddenly solemn eyes and his quick nod made him understand that despite his temper, the message had been received, and only then, the General allowed himself a small sigh of relief.

He put a hand on his heir’s shoulder, squeezing gently, and gave him one of their secret smiles.

“Comfort the girl and be kind: she is a human, it is true, but she is not a toy you can use to your liking. I gave you permission to keep her so that you can treasure this experience in the future and remind you that in the end they are not so different from us.”

Eventually realizing the desire of the young youkai, the lord of the West pushed him gently towards her. “And now, no more moodiness: the girl is worried about you.”

Only then Sesshoumaru lifted his eyes on the child, noticing that she was looking at him with an expression so deeply nervous and afraid that the demon could not help but feel guilty and ashamed for his behavior.

Nodding absently to his father and taking his leave with a little bow, Sesshoumaru hastened to go sit down next to Kagome and took as usual her hand in his.

This time, his touch was gentle and not overbearing, and the girl let him willingly.

 

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

 **Word count:** 730 words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: I couldn’t resist – sorry! Inu No Taisho appropriates and rephrases one of the best quotes in my opinion by Sirius Black: “If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.” [Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J. K. Rowling].  
> Also, thank you so, so much for your reviews and the kudos - you're all so nice!


End file.
